Stephen Frederick Schneck (born 1953) is an American Catholic activist. Formerly an associate professor at The Catholic University of America (CUA), where he was also the Director of CUA's Institute for Policy Research and Catholic Studies, he retired from the university in 2018. A public speaker and lecturer, Schneck is a frequent source of media analysis on issues involving Catholicism and public policy. He was chair of the Department of Politics from 1995 to 2007 and Acting Undergraduate Dean of the School of Arts & Sciences in 1988. From 2012 to 2013, he was appointed as the Acting Dean of th
National Catholic School of Social Service
at Catholic University. Schneck's academic work has focused on political philosophy, with special emphases on 18th- century American political thought and contemporary continental political theory. More recently he has focused on the role of religion in democracy. He is the author of several books and articles in the field of political philosophy; notable publications include two books on the political theory of

Max Scheler Max Ferdinand Scheler (; 22 August 1874 – 19 May 1928) was a German philosopher known for his work in phenomenology, ethics, and philosophical anthropology. Considered in his lifetime one of the most prominent German philosophers,Davis, Zachar ...

, an edited volume on the work of

Fred Dallmayr Fred Reinhard Dallmayr (born October 18, 1928) is an American philosopher and political theorist. He is Packey J. Dee Professor Emeritus in Political Science with a joint appointment in philosophy at the University of Notre Dame (US). He holds a D ...

, and articles and book chapters examining such figures as Tocqueville,

Michel Foucault Paul-Michel Foucault (, ; ; 15 October 192625 June 1984) was a French philosopher, historian of ideas, writer, political activist, and literary critic. Foucault's theories primarily address the relationship between power and knowledge, and how ...

, and

Jürgen Habermas Jürgen Habermas (, ; ; born 18 June 1929) is a German social theorist in the tradition of critical theory and pragmatism. His work addresses communicative rationality and the public sphere. Associated with the Frankfurt School, Habermas's wor ...

, among others.

Education

Schneck attended Rockhurst University, where he received a B.A. in Political Science and

Philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

in 1976. He earned his masters and doctoral degrees from the University of Notre Dame in 1981 and 1984, respectively.

Public service

He serves on the Board of Directors for Catholic Mobilizing Network and for Catholic Climate Covenant. He was previously a board member for Sojourners, for

Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good (CACG) is a non-partisan, Catholic, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization in the United States, which according to its website aims to promote "the fullness of the Catholic social tradition in the public squar ...

, and for Democrats for Life of America. He served as national co-chair of Catholics for Biden in 2020. He served as a national co-chair of Catholics for Obama in 2012. In 2015, Schneck was appointed to President

Barack Obama's Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

third Advisory Council on for the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. On June 15, 2022, the White House announced Schneck's appointment to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom.

Selected works

Books

* ''Letting Be: Fred Dallmayr’s Cosmopolitical Vision''. Editor. (Notre Dame, Ind.: University of Notre Dame Press, 2006) * ''Max Scheler's Acting Persons: New Perspectives''. Editor. (Amsterdam: Rodopi Press, 2002) * ''Italy in Transition: The Long Road from the First to the Second Republic''. Co-Edited (with Ambassador Paolo Janni) with Introduction. (Washington, D. C.: Council for Research in Values and Philosophy, 1998) * ''Person & Polis: Max Scheler's Personalism as Political Theory''. (Albany, NY: SUNY Press, 1988)

Journal articles

* "The End of History and the Human Sciences", ''International Journal of Philosophy'' (Summer 1997) * "New Readings of Tocqueville's America", ''Polity'' (Fall 1993) * "Habits of the Head: Tocqueville's America", ''Political Theory'' (Fall 1990) * "William Connolly's Post-Modern Liberalism", ''The Review of Politics'' (Spring 1989) * "Michel Foucault on power/discourse, theory and practice", ''Human Studies'' (Summer 1987)

References

External links

The Catholic University of AmericaInstitute for Policy Research & Catholic StudiesStephen Schneck
1953 births American political scientists Catholic University of America School of Arts and Sciences faculty Living people National Catholic School of Social Service faculty Rockhurst University alumni University of Notre Dame alumni {{US-polisci-bio-stub